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To See Or Not to See

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Bioluminescence 2009: ocean Living Light on the Deep Sea Floor Expedition To See or Not to See www.oceanexplorer.noaa.gov Focus Bioluminescence, color, and camouflage in deep ocean organisms Grade Level 9-12 (Life Science) Focus Question Image credit: NOAA. How are light and color important to organisms in deep ocean environments? Learning Objectives ] Students will be able to identify and discuss key factors that determine the effectiveness of color camouflage in pelagic and benthic habitats. ] Students will be able to describe how ambient light changes with Image credit: NOAA. increasing depth in the ocean. ] Students will be able to explain how the wavelength of light that illuminates an organism may determine the most effective camouflage coloration. ] Students will be able to explain how an organism that has effective camouflage coloration under ambient illumination may not be effectively camouflaged when it is illuminated by Image credit: NOAA. bioluminescence. Materials @ Copies of “Bioluminescence and Color Camouflage Inquiry Guide,” one copy for each student group @ Flashlights; one for each student group @ Blue filters (see Learning Procedure Step 1c) Audio/Visual Materials 9 (Optional) Images showing light and color in deep-sea Image credit: NOAA. environments and organisms (see Learning Procedure, Step 1d) Image captions on Page 2. Teaching Time Two 45-minute class periods, plus time for student research 1 www.oceanexplorer.noaa.gov Bioluminescence 2009: To See or Not to See Grades 9-12 (Life Science) Seating Arrangement Groups of 2-4 students Maximum Number of Students 30 Key Words Light Vision Bioluminescence Electromagnetic spectrum Color Wavelength Camouflage The lobate ctenophore Ocyropsis maculata as viewed under unpolarized light (top) and polarized light (bottom). Image credit: NOAA. Background Information http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/ explorations/05deepscope/logs/aug27/media/ [NOTE: Explanations and procedures in this lesson are written at a level ocyropsis_unpolarized_600.jpg http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/ appropriate to professional educators. In presenting and discussing explorations/05deepscope/logs/aug27/media/ this material with students, educators usually will need to adapt the ocyropsis_polarized_600.jpg language and instructional approach to styles that are best suited to specific student groups.] Deep ocean environments are almost completely dark; yet light is still important in these environments. Many marine species are able to produce “living light” through a process known as bioluminescence, but very little is known about specific ways that Unidentified Sargassum shrimp bearing two colors of fluorescent patches. Image credit: NOAA. deep-sea organisms use this ability. Part of the problem is that these http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/ organisms are difficult to observe: turning on bright lights can cause explorations/05deepscope/logs/aug22/media/ fluorescent_shrimp_600.jpg mobile animals to move away, and may permanently blind light- sensitive sight organs. In addition, transparent and camouflaged organisms may be virtually invisible even with strong lights, Images from Page 1 top to bottom: The Eye-In-The-Sea camera system deployed on the and many types of bioluminescence can’t be seen under ordinary edge of a brine pool, over 2,100 ft deep in the Gulf visible light. Overcoming these obstacles is a primary objective of Mexico. Image credit: NOAA. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/ of the Bioluminescence 2009: Living Light on the Deep Sea Floor explorations/04deepscope/logs/aug8/media/eye_600. Expedition. jpg A flotilla of fish follow a transparent drifting jel- Like the 2004 and 2005 Ocean Exploration Deep Scope Expeditions lyfish, Aurelia aurita. Image credit: NOAA. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/ (http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/04deepscope/welcome. explorations/05deepscope/logs/sep3/media/aure- lia3_rs_600.jpg html and http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/05deepscope/ welcome.html), Bioluminescence 2009 will use advanced optical The pontellid copepod Pontella securifer. Various parts glow fluorescent green when viewed under techniques to observe animals under extremely dim light that may blue light. Image credit: NOAA. reveal organisms and behaviors that have never been seen before. In http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/ explorations/05deepscope/logs/aug26/media/ addition, these techniques will allow scientists to study animals whose horned_copepod_mf_600.jpg vision is based on processes that are very different from human vision. Deep Scope 2005 science crew examines recently collected specimens. Image credit: NOAA. These techniques are based on a number of basic concepts related http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/ explorations/05deepscope/logs/sep4/media/ to the production of light by chemical reactions, a process known as examining_specimens_600.jpg 2 www.oceanexplorer.noaa.gov Bioluminescence 2009: To See or Not to See Grades 9-12 (Life Science) chemiluminescence. When these reactions occur in living organisms, the process is called bioluminescence. A familiar example is the bioluminescence of fireflies; another is “foxfire,” which is caused by bioluminescence in fungi growing on wood. Bioluminescence is relatively rare in terrestrial ecosystems, but is much more common in the marine organisms including bacteria, algae, cnidarians, annelids, The shortnose greeneye fish gets its name from fluorescent eyes. Image credit: NOAA. crustaceans, and fishes. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/ explorations/04deepscope/logs/aug16/media/ greeneye_fluor_600.jpg Investigating the role of bioluminescence in the deep-sea benthic ecosystems involves the basic properties of light in seawater, as well as different ways in which certain forms of light may be perceived by living organisms. “Light” is usually defined as the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that is visible to the normal human eye, but since the Bioluminescence 2009 Expedition is concerned with eyes other than human ones, we need a broader definition. It is helpful to think of light as a series of waves that consist of energy in the form of electric and magnetic fields that together are known Under white light, the greeneye fish looks very dif- ferent, but its green lenses are still apparent. Image as electromagnetic radiation. These waves can have many different credit: NOAA. wavelengths (the distance between any two corresponding points http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/ explorations/04deepscope/logs/aug16/media/ on successive waves, such as peak-to-peak or trough-to-trough), so greeneye_600.jpg they form a spectrum of wavelengths. The full range of wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum extends from gamma rays that have wavelengths on the order of one billionth of a meter, to radio waves whose wavelengths may be several hundred meters. The wavelength of light visible to humans ranges from 400 billionths of a meter (violet light) to 700 billionths of a meter (red light), but we know that some organisms are able to detect light wavelengths outside these limits. The amount of energy in a light wave is related to its wavelength: shorter wavelengths have higher energy than longer wavelengths. In the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum visible to humans, violet has the most energy and red the least. In seawater, light waves with more energy travel farther than those with less energy. Warm colors such as red and orange are absorbed fairly near the surface, so red objects appear black at depths greater than 10 meters. In clear ocean water, visible light decreases by about 90% with every 75 m increase in depth (so at 150 m depth, there is only 1% of the visible light present at the surface). Deep-sea environments below 1,000 m appear almost completely dark to humans; yet vision and “light” are still important to many of the organisms that live in these environments. This lesson guides student inquiry into an investigation of bioluminescence and color in deep-sea ecosystems, and provides direct experience with interpreting scientific literature. 3 www.oceanexplorer.noaa.gov Bioluminescence 2009: To See or Not to See Grades 9-12 (Life Science) Learning Procedure 1. To prepare for this lesson: a. Read: – Introductory essays for the Bioluminescence 2009 Expedition (http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/09deepscope/ welcome.html); b. Review questions and procedures on the “Bioluminescence and Color Camouflage Inquiry Guide.” Make a copy of the Inquiry Guide for each student group. Note that color copies are needed for Figure 1. c. Assemble materials required for student inquiries. Blue filters may be obtained from theatrical supply houses, music stores, or via the Internet (e.g., http://sldlighting.com/). Try to obtain filters having 20% transmittance or less. d. Optional: Download or copy several images showing light and color in deep-sea environments and organisms from one or more of the following Web sites: http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/gallery/livingocean/ livingocean_coral.html http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/abyss/life/bestiary.html http://www.lifesci.ucsb.edu/~biolum/ 2. Briefly discuss the mission plan and activities of the Bioluminescence 2009 Expedition. You may want to show images of various deep-sea environments and organisms, and briefly review background information on bioluminescence from the introductory essays. 3. Tell students that their assignment is to conduct an inquiry into an investigation of bioluminescence and color in deep- sea ecosystems, and provide each group with a copy of the “Bioluminescence and Color
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